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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pop · root · cap · stand · straw · press · ground · cabinet

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. pop — soda
  3. press — to push
  4. cap — of ice
  5. cap — a hat
  6. ground — crushed
  7. press — newspapers
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. pop — to visit
  10. press — a publisher
  11. root — of a plant
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. cap — a lid
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. root — the cause
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. ground — a position
  18. stand — to bear
  19. pop — music
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. ground — the earth
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. straw — a straw man

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com